Hi Guys,
I have an '03 F250 Super Cab, 7.3L PSD, 4WD. I've started getting a large vibration between 40 and 60 mph. Started after driving on the PA highways towing a trailer with a car and hitting several deep pot holes.
I have had the wheels balanced, rotated, balanced a second time by a different shop and had them perform an alignment - Still No change.
The garage I took it to said the hubs were shot so I had them replaced - supposedly with Moog, lifetime warranty hubs. Still - No Change.
The tie rods and steering linkages are a year old, so unless something was damaged (visually, they look good, and feel tight) it probably isn't them.
I replaced the ball joints around 80,000 miles and now the truck has 155,000 miles. They appear to be ok, with maybe just a little movement in the Passenger side upper.


Any ideas? If there is any movement at all in the ball joint, will it cause a vibration?


I plan to rotate my full size spare through all 4 corners this weekend to eliminate the possibility of a bent rim.


Any suggestions to help me diagnose this will be appreciated.


Oh, I have another set of ball joints and seals on order which should arrive next week. Probably next weekend's project.


Thanks,


Ken

 

Have you checked drive shaft joints and carrier bearing (if you have one)?

 

I quickly looked under the truck yesterday as it was getting dark. I think the drive shaft is just attached at the transfer case and rear end, I didn't see a carrier bearing.
The drive shaft has never been serviced, so maybe it is time to do a thorough inspection of it and the U-joints. Maybe the drive shaft threw a weight and is out of balance.

 

Bump... anyone?

 

I had a similar situation happen with my 96 many years ago with a vibration noise between 40-60 mph. Turned out to be the driveshaft u-joints. I would never recommend this, EVER, but we put the rear axle on stands and got the truck spinning in 1st. My dad used a yard stick and laid in on the moving shaft. The stick bounced all around because the shaft was not in a balanced spin. Took the driveshaft out to find the u-joints toasted. Again, don't do that.

The driveshaft shouldn't be hard to remove to check this. Just make sure you put marks on the driveshaft and where it bolts to the axle so when you put it back together it's lined up correctly so it's balanced.

 

Thanks... I drove about 250 miles today and have a strong feeling that it is drive shaft/line related. Under load; accelerating or going uphill on the highway, the vibration gets worse, coasting it diminishes... Going to check the drive shaft u-joints in the morning.

 

Let us know what you find. I really suspect ujoints.

 

FWIW a bent rim is very obvious on a balance machine. A good operator will pick it up in an instant. What is less obvious is a damaged tire, and a pot hole can damage a tire.

Brian

 

Turns out it was the rear u joint in the rear drive shaft. Problem solved. (Special 12 point Ford Drive shaft impact socket is available at Amazon or advance auto.
K

 

Glad you were able to fix it!

 

Have you found and corrected the problem? I hope so and that you will share the cause with me. I have a 2004 F250 new to me with a shudder between 30 and 40 mph. I changed the wheels and tires and the shudder is unchanged. Thank you!

 

It's a 7 year old thread, but yes, the member solved his vibration issue by replacing bad U-joints in the rear drive shaft.

 

Had a honda crv with similar problems shaking when speeding up from 40 to 60 mph, problems went away after flushing transmission fluid and rear differential fluid. That may not be the cause of your problem, but this might give you some ideas.

 

Thank you very much!

 

Thank you very much too!